Day: April 22, 2018

It has been a great week! It’s been quite some time since it seemed like my whole week was divinely designed to teach me something or remind me of something that God felt like I needed. But this week has been one. As I reflected back on the week this evening it sure became obvious that He was intent on doing a work in my heart. And it didn’t take long for me to realize it.

It all started early in the week when I was listening to the radio and one of my favorite songs came on. The song “The Love Of God” has been very special to me for a long time. The words of the song so aptly describe the enormity and vastness of God’s love and in such a way that no other words have ever been penned to match them. And those of us who have experienced that love certainly understand how true those words are. And to be honest, I don’t think anyone could pen words like that without experiencing that love. However, the problem is that I have heard that song so many times I had become almost deaf to the words. So God, in His mercy, got my attention again by reminding me in His way of what He did for me. There’s no doubt it took that kind of love for Him to give His only Son as the sacrifice needed for us to be reconciled to Him. Such an amazing love! Lesson 1 and that was just the beginning.

Later in the week I had a conversation with one of my work associates, actually my boss, about our wives and how much they mean to us. Both of us have been married for many years and we have come to realize how much we love them. We discussed how there are no real words to describe how we feel about them or any actions that we could perform that could possibly explain how we feel. And as the conversation progressed I began to think about that same relationship between Christ Jesus and His bride, the Church. The difference is that He demonstrated His love for His bride by giving His very life for Her. And that, ,my friend, is real love. So God, in His grace, again reminded me of how much He loves me. Lesson 2 but He’s not finished.

This very morning, during our Saturday Bible study, we had finally come to the last half of John chapter 13. This is the passage where Jesus explains to His disciples that one of them is about to betray Him. He then bids Judas to go quickly and do what he is to do. After Judas leaves Jesus goes back to teaching His disciples how to act when He is gone. He had just minutes before washed the disciple’s feet and demonstrated His love for them by performing that menial task. As he reminds them of this He makes a profound statement that is in the form of a command. He states that He is giving them a new and additional commandment and that is to love one another just like He loved them. In so doing the world would know that they were His disciples. And here came Lesson 3. God, in His love, reminded me that true love is not words, not feelings, not attitude but is action. Every time he talked about love it was in the context of demonstrating it. And in every encounter He had with someone else He demonstrated His love for them by His actions. He did the same for me, and for you and for every person ever to be born; past, present, and future. To God be the glory and honor for ever and ever!

So, I’ve been reminded this week that love is more than words but real love is always shown through my actions. I pray that these lessons will stick with me for a long time and that I stay ready to act in such a way that the world knows I am one of His own.